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{{Short description|Nonprofit cinema in Massachusetts, US}}

factoids

| designation = | architect = | owner = | tenant = | operator = Coolidge Corner Theatre Foundation| capacity = | type = Non-profitweblink}}}}Coolidge Corner Theatre is a nonprofit, independent cinema and community cultural center in the Coolidge Corner section of Brookline, Massachusetts, specializing in international, documentary, animated, and independent film selections, series, classes, and seminars.WEB, Education Classes & Seminars,weblink 2023-01-13, Coolidge Corner Theater, en,

History

Coolidge Corner Theatre was built as a Universalist church in 1906 and was redesigned as an Art Deco movie palace in 1933 as the community's first movie theater.WEB, Coolidge Corner Theatre Foundation History & Mission, November 8, 2014,weblink January 12, 2015, WEB, Harmon, Lawrence, Brookline movie house required skillful rescue, The Boston Globe, Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC, November 8, 2014,weblink January 12, 2015, The theater opened on December 30, 1933 with its first film being a Disney short film.BOOK,weblink Harris, Patricia, David Lyon, 117, Boston: A Guide to Unique Places, Globe Pequot Press, 2004, 978-0-06-054017-3, Originally the theater only had one screen but was later divided into two and then four.WEB, Zhao, Weiwen, November 20, 2014, Coolidge Corner Theatre celebrates 25 years since being saved from the wrecking ball,weblink January 12, 2015, Wickedlocal.com, Community Newspaper Company, By 1988, the theatre faced increased competition due to VCR sales and shifts in entertainment consumption.JOURNAL, {{ProQuest, 1731552009, |last1=Loria |first1=Daniel |title=THE COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE |journal=Boxoffice |volume=151 |issue=8 |date=August 2015 |pages=26–27 }} When developer Jonathan Davis expressed interest in demolishing the theatre and repurposing the property as commercial space, a group from the Brookline community started a grassroots campaign to save the theatre.NEWS, {{ProQuest, 888778852, |last1=Rothchild |first1=Sylvia |title=Many Jews In Struggle To Preserve Coolidge Theatre |newspaper=Jewish Advocate |date=5 October 1989 |page=4 }} David Kleiler, a film professor at Babson College, led the movement, called "Friends of the Coolidge," which later transformed into the Coolidge Corner Theatre Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the theatre's preservation.WEB, History & Mission,weblink 2023-10-02, Coolidge Corner Theater, en, This foundation played a role in securing the theater's recognition as a historic site, temporarily preventing potential redevelopment.In 1989, the foundation attempted to raise the necessary $2.6 million to purchase the theatre, but faced fundraising shortfalls. In response, four hundred local residents gathered in a peaceful demonstration, locking arms and forming a human chain around the theatre. Harold Brown, a realtor and Brookline resident who had loved the Coolidge in his youth, and his Hamilton Charitable Foundation emerged, proposed the purchase of the theatre and a 99-year lease to the Coolidge Foundation. On November 8, 1989, Kleiler cut a celluloid ribbon and the theatre reopened its doors with the marquee reading, "WE DID IT - ON WITH THE SHOW." Kleiler remained the theatre's programming director until 1993.Comedian and Brookline, Massachusetts native John Hodgman worked at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in his youth.WEB,weblink John Hodgman on Grey Gardens, Academy Award-winning actor Julianne Moore saw Eraserhead at the Coolidge Corner Theatre and credits the experience as one of her key inspirations to pursue acting.WEB, Globe, The Boston, At Coolidge award event, Oscar-winner Julianne Moore reflects on roles and her years in Boston,weblink 2024-03-29, www.boston.com, en-US, In November 2021, the Coolidge Foundation broke ground on an expansion of the theatre, which added 14,000 square feet to its existing structure.WEB, A vision for our future,weblink 2023-10-06, Campaign for the Coolidge, en-US, The $12.5 million expansion, "The Campaign for the Coolidge," designed by Höweler + Yoon, features two state-of-the-art theaters, a 60-seat Community Education and Engagement Center, a media library for films and Coolidge merchandise, and enhanced accessibility features. Donors included a $1 million donation from The Trust Family Foundation.WEB, The Coolidge Announces Expansion Project,weblink 2023-10-06, Coolidge Corner Theater, en, The expansion opened on March 27, 2024.NEWS,weblink Coolidge Corner Theatre’s new expansion is ready for its close up, March 20, 2024, Andrea Shea, WBUR,

Coolidge Award

The Coolidge Award annually recognizes a film artist who “advances the spirit of original and challenging cinema.’’WEB, Gilsdorf, Ethan, Viggo Mortensen sees through the eyes of an outsider, The Boston Globe, Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC, March 2, 2012,weblink January 12, 2015, Recipients of this venue's annual Coolidge Award include:WEB, Coolidge Award,weblink January 12, 2015,

• 2005: Vittorio Storaro
• 2006: Meryl Streep
• 2010: Jonathan Demme
• 2012: Viggo Mortensen
• 2013: Thelma Schoonmaker
• 2016: Jane Fonda
• 2017: Werner Herzog
• 2018: Michael Douglas
• 2019: Julianne Moore
• 2023: Liv Ullmann
• 2023: Ruth E. Carter

Coolidge Breakthrough Artist Award

Created in 2023, the Coolidge Breakthrough Artist AwardWEB, Announcing the first ever Coolidge Breakthrough Artist Award,weblink 2023-08-11, Coolidge Corner Theater, en, recognizes emerging voices in film and spotlights the next generation of young film artists. Recipients include:

• 2023: Elegance Bratton

Images

File:CoolidgeCornerTheatreLobby2010.JPG|Coolidge Corner Theatre lobby with Art Deco neonFile:JonDemme-by-JSDwyer.jpg|Coolidge Award recipient Jonathan Demme at Coolidge Corner Theatre in 2010File:CoolidgeCornerTheatrePopcorn.JPG|Popcorn being served in Coolidge Corner Theatre lobbyFile:Robyn Hitchcock 2010 by John Stephen Dwyer.jpg|Robyn Hitchcock at Coolidge Corner Theatre in 2010File:Night of the Living Dead - Coolidge Corner Theater.jpg|A screening of Night of the Living Dead on October 2, 2023 with a live score by the Morricone Youth.

References

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